Standing up for what’s right

Posts Tagged 'Standing up for what’s right'

Standing Up For What’s Right

JESUS SPEAKING

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers money and overturned the tables. And he said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then the disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house has eaten me up.” (John 2: 13 – 17.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

   Long ago King David prophesied of the coming Messiah; suggesting He would be zealous for the things of God. Jesus, having witnessed His fellow Israelites using the temple for selfish gain, became enraged. After constructing a whip made of chords, He drove out all those who were defiling His Father’s house. Today, much like our Savior, we too will occasionally observe instances of unspeakable evil. In such circumstances, the Holy Spirit will eradicate our fears and fill our hearts with zeal; giving us the strength to publicly oppose anyone engaging in malicious conduct.
   One day many years ago, while I was studying in a coffee shop, a man and his teenage son sat down beside me. Without provocation, the youngster began persistently berating and verbally abusing his Dad. As the disrespect escalated, my heart was filled with righteous anger. The boy eventually threatened his Dad, saying, “Have you ever been punched in the face?” I lashed out; telling the young man to ‘Shut his mouth!’ The boy fell silent. I proceeded to lecture him concerning the fifth commandment; honoring his father and mother. Embarrassed and afraid, he stepped outside, but eventually returned to apologize.
   In this life, we will occasionally witness acts of such unspeakable evil that Jesus will inspire us to intervene. In these moments, He will fill our hearts with zeal; giving us the words to speak and the strength to overcome our fears. The Lord will use us to rebuke, to exhort, and to correct many who intentionally violate the basic laws of God.
   “Lord Heavenly Father, give us the courage to speak the truth when necessary. May we love what is good and be zealous for Your ways. When great acts of evil are being practiced, may we stand up against them; allowing our desires for righteousness to eradicate our fears of reprisal. May we be a light in the darkness. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!

Opposing Evil

Published December 18, 2018 Jesus Speaks , Uncategorized Closed
Tags: Jesus Speaks, Opposing evil, Speaking the truth, Standing up for what's right, the words of Jesus Christ, www.jesusspeaks.com

JESUS SPEAKING

“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this […] You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you desire to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me” (John 8: 39, 44 – 45.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

Jesus opposed the religious leaders with great zeal; they claimed to be descendants of Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people. However, Abraham was a righteous man; a man who looked forward to the coming of the messiah; yet as Jesus stood before them, they sought to kill him. They did not know God; preferring instead to serve Satan (a fallen angel who continually opposes God.) Lucifer has an influence in every act of violence, murder, idolatry, theft, divorce, drunkenness, and dishonesty (to name a few.) But God’s truth is a light that exposes Satan’s lies. Those who serve the ‘son of perdition’ will stop at nothing to extinguish God’s divine illumination; so, they can continue in sin without remorse. Wherever God is not, evil exists in abundance.
Adolf Hitler orchestrated one of the largest mass murders in world history. He rounded up and killed nearly 6 million Jews. He rejected God and the bible, and avidly believed in the evolutionary teachings of Charles Darwin (those teachings attempted to explain creation by means of naturalistic processes—if life could arise and evolve on its own, then a divine creator would no longer be necessary.) To Adolf Hitler, human beings were nothing more than animals; animals that could be enhanced through proper breeding. As a believer in ‘survival of the fittest’ (another evolutionary term), Hitler assumed some human beings were less advanced than others. In turn, he sought to create a master race by systematically destroying the unfit. Before his campaign of ethnic cleansing, he killed the elderly, the deformed, and the disabled. When the Godly stood up to oppose him, he imprisoned and killed them as well. After he invaded Poland, he murdered nearly 3 million Christians and Catholics. He also killed 3,000 church clergy members; another 2,600 Catholic priests were executed throughout Europe. Still, he didn’t stop there; his goal wasn’t to control the churches, but to destroy them. Following his death, the truth about his design to obliterate Christianity after the war became known. Jesus Christ stood in the way of his twisted ideology; causing many disciples to stand up and speak the truth; thus, illuminating of his evil deeds. Hitler (much like the Pharisees who opposed the Lord) had to remove the light of Christ before he could practice his atrocities uninhibited.
Those who follow God oppose evil; no matter the cost. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we boldly speak the truth (as Christ has taught us.) Speaking the truth may not be popular; we may be excluded, hated, or even persecuted by those who seek to sin without conviction. Satan will stop at nothing to see man disobey God. Are we willing to stand up for what is right? Are we able to be a light in the darkness? Are we prepared to preach the truth in a world that prefers lies? Speak the truth, and God will bless you. Stand firm, and He will strengthen you. Allow the light of Christ to shine through you, and you will “dwell in the house of the Lord, Forever.”
“Lord Heavenly Father, we desire to oppose what is evil and to expose the works of Satan. Give us the strength and the courage to preach the truth in a world that prefers lies. May we be a light in the darkest places. May we not fear the reprisals of man, and always seek to do Your will; no matter what the cost. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!

Making a Stand

Published October 15, 2018 Jesus Speaks , Uncategorized Closed
Tags: being zealous, Jesus Speaks, making a stand, Standing up for what's right, Temple, the words of Jesus Christ, Whip, www.jesusspeaks.com

JESUS SPEAKING

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers money and overturned the tables. And he said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then the disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house has eaten me up” (John 2: 13 – 17.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

   Long ago King David prophesied that the messiah would be zealous concerning the things of God. Jesus, having witnessed his fellow Israelites using the temple for selfish gain, became enraged. After constructing a whip, he drove out those who were defiling his Father’s house. Today, we too will occasionally observe acts of unspeakable evil. In such instances, the Holy Spirit will eradicate our fears and fill our hearts with zeal; enabling us to publicly oppose those engaging in malicious conduct.
   One afternoon, while studying in the coffee shop, a man and his teenage son sat down beside me. Without provocation, the youngster began persistently berating and verbally abusing his Dad. As the disrespect escalated, my heart was filled with righteous anger. The boy eventually threatened his Dad, saying, “Have you ever been punched in the face?” I lashed out; telling the young man to ‘Shut his mouth!’ The boy fell silent. I proceeded to lecture him concerning the fifth commandment; honoring his father and mother. Embarrassed and afraid, he stepped outside; later returning to apologize.
   In this life, we will occasionally witness acts of such unspeakable evil, that Jesus will inspire us to intervene. In these moments, He will fill our hearts with zeal; giving us the words to speak and the strength to overcome our fears. The Lord will use us to rebuke, to exhort, and to correct many who eagerly violate the basic laws of God.
   “Lord Heavenly Father, give us the courage to speak the truth when necessary. May we love what is good and be zealous for Your ways. When great acts of evil are being practiced, may we stand against them; allowing our desires for righteousness to eradicate our fear of reprisal. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.

Jesus Speaks

Posts Tagged 'Standing up for what’s right'